.

"My mammy she trouble in her heart bout de way they treated. Ever night
she pray for de Lawd to git her an' her chillun out ob de place. One
day she plowin' in de cotton fiel. All sudden like she let out big
yell. Den she sta't singin' an' a shoutin', an' a whoopin' an' a
hollowin'. Den it seem she plow all de harder. When she come home,
Marse Jim's mammy say: 'What all dat goin' on in de fiel? Yo' think we
sen' you out there jes to whoop and yell? No siree, we put you out
there to work and you sho' bettah work, else we git de overseeah to
cowhide you ole black back.' My mammy jes grin all over her black
wrinkled face and say: 'I's saved. De Lawd done tell me I's saved. Now
I know de Lawd will show me de way, I ain't gwine a grieve no more. No
matter how much yo' all done beat me an' my chillun de Lawd will show
me de way. An' some day we nevah be slaves.' Ole granny Moore grab de
cowhide and slash mammy cross de back but mammy nebber yell. She jes go
back to de fiel a singin'.

"My mammy grieve lots over brothah George, who die wif de fever. Granny
she doctah him as bes' she could, evah time she git way from de white
folks kitchen. My mammy nevah git chance to see him, 'cept when she git
home in de evenin'. George he jes lie. One day I look at him an' he had
sech a peaceful look on his face, I think he sleep and jes let him
lone. Long in de evenin I think I try to wake him. I touch him on de
face, but he was dead. Mammy nebber know til she come at night. Pore
mammy she kneel by de bed an' cry her heart out. Ol' uncle Allen, he
make pine box for him an' carry him to de graveyard over on de hill. My
mammy jes plow and cry as she watch em' put George in de groun'.

"My pappy he was a blacksmith. He shoe all de horses on de plantation.
He wo'k so hard he hab no time to go to de fiel'. His name war Stephen
Moore. Mars Jim call him Stephen Andrew. He was sold to de Moores, and
his mammy too. She war brought over from Africa. She never could speak
plain. All her life she been a slave. White folks never recognize 'em
any more than effen dey was a dog.

"It was a tubble sight to see de speculators come to de plantation. Dey
would go through de fields and buy de slaves dey wanted. Marse Jim
nebber sell pappy or mammy or any ob dey chillun. He allus like pappy.
When de speculator come all de slaves start a shakin'. No one know who
is a goin'. Den sometime dey take 'em an' sell 'em on de block. De
'breed woman' always bring